Newsletter

A path to coexistence with lions

Stuart Pimm (1999) and his colleagues estimate that lion populations on Africa's savannahs have decreased by almost two-thirds over the last 50 years due to habitat loss as human population has grown. Pimm stresses that there is still time to prevent them from decreasing to critical levels. “We’re using this information to very actively look at strategies for how we can protect lions and help people get a benefit from having wildlife live near them,” he says. He notes that lions and other wildlife are a valuable resource and can drive tourism and other economic activity in countries where they are protected.